揝orry,?Dess says.
My eyes flick from the crazy badger lady to my daughter.
揌old on. You don抰 know her besides watching her tear me apart in my store and you抮e being this nice??I snort.
Destiny nods, her lips turning up in a lopsided smile.
揝he gets an apology and I get lip? Dess, I抳e taken care of you your whole life. Tell me how the hell that works??
揇ad, I棓
揋uys.?Miss Angelo claps her hands together softly. 揑 hate to interrupt whatever weird family thing is happening, but I was up all night working on this and…and someone抯 drinking it today. So, what are we trying first? Latte or mocha??
I hate that I抦 impressed.
Her desire to cut the crap and get down to business fires a missile at my own heart.
揧ou managed a latte and a mocha? Did you forget I just wanted one good specialty drink??Apparently, my body forgot it抯 not supposed to have an electric current in her presence.
She grins. 揟hey抮e prototypes, right? I wanted to offer you two drinks so I can cross compare, knowing one will turn out better than the other. That way, I can keep refining the weaker drink.?
Or she抯 that terrified of me hating her efforts and demanding better. I don抰 say it, of course.
Time will tell.
Either the drinks are shit, or she抯 more talented than I dreamed.
揃old choice. How did you come up with two distinct beverages in such a short time??I ask.
揟he latte is something I was already thinking about and the mocha is just a variation with chocolate. So are we ready??Her eyes are damn near gleaming with excitement.
Maybe she抯 not nervous. I should be happy about that梚f only a small, buried part of me didn抰 want her to find me intimidating.
揑 want the mocha!?Dess meets my eyes. 揧ou made one good decision this week, Dad. You hired Badger Lady.?
揗iss Angelo,?I correct, even as my daughter rolls her eyes.
揑 actually prefer Eliza,?she says.
揈liza! I love that name.?Destiny beams at her like she抯 offering a tall glass of Bailey抯 rather than a frigging burned mocha. She holds out her fist.
Eliza stares back, confused for a moment, then bumps her fist with a soft laugh.
揊ine, we抣l start with the mocha. Don抰 give Destiny too much,?I say, holding in a smile while Dess glares at me.
I duck behind my desk to fetch a few cups.
Eliza sets both hulking Yetis on my desk. She opens the pink one first and pours a muddy dark liquid with a strong cocoa scent into the cup I set out.
揑 can smell the chocolate. Miss Angelo, it better be dark and delicious and the bane of Destiny抯 sweet tooth. We do not want any sugar-lick frou-frou drinks,?I say.
She stops, swinging the cup she was about to hand to me over to Destiny.
揑抦 the CEO,?I warn.
揧eah, but she抯 nicer.?
Destiny doesn抰 hesitate, taking a long pull from her cup.
揥hoa. It抯 like tasting a bakery. So good! Dad, you don抰 even know you抮e drinking coffee until you swallow it and梑am!梞ule kick.?
I wonder if my baby girl will ever come up with an analogy that doesn抰 make me think of hooves to the face.
揕et me try it,?I grind out, reaching for the cup.
Dess passes it over.
I drink deeply and settle back in my chair, swishing it from one cheek to the next like I was taught to do at five different wineries.
Even for me, the sweetness is tolerable. Present, but not overwhelming, which is key for letting the other flavors come through.
Roasted marshmallow.
Dark chocolate.
Smoky undertones.
That bourbon taste that isn抰 really bourbon.
Yeah, it抯 interesting, all right.
The only thing keeping this from being liquified s抦ores in a cup is the missing graham cracker. I swallow and look at my lab girl.
Goddamn, has she been watching me this whole time?
I decide to ignore it.
I need to make sure this wasn抰 a happy accident born from Eliza working herself sleepless and stirring together whatever she thought would taste good in just the right ratios.
揥hat are we going for with this, Miss Angelo? Explain.?
揝抦ores,?she says with a smile that hooks my gaze.
揑t mirrors the flavor well,?I agree. 揌owever, you抮e still missing the graham cracker.?
Her smile fades. That sour look I抳e come to know so well returns.
揋ood job, Miss Angelo! No one else could have come up with roasted marshmallows perfectly folded in chocolate in less than three days. We just need graham crackers and it抯 all gravy,?she mimics me, her voice lowered an octave or two. 揟hanks, boss. Glad you like it so much.?
The thumbs-up she aims my way feels like a loaded gun. It抯 pure hell not laughing.
揇on抰 worry what he thinks. He抯 a perfectionist porcupine. I like it and I want to share it with all my friends,?Dess says cheerfully.